Rating of
3/4
"Drunken Master" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/10/12
The arrogant son of a martial arts master is packed off to study under an ageing beggar who needs booze like Popeye needs spinach. Drunken Master was the film that broke Jackie Chan into the popular consciousness and is the perfect vehicle for his particular brand of energetic kung fu and comedy. The plot firmly takes a back seat for this film, but whereas many of this type are po-faced fight scenes interspersed with clumsy slapstick, this one marries the two brilliantly. The best of the action involves the drunken master himself, a kind of cross between Mr Miyagi and Barney Gumble, and there are lot of laughs in his faux drunken acrobatics. Stephen Chow has obviously carried on very successfully in this tradition and anyone one who enjoys kung fu movies or cheering for the underdog while having a few chuckles along the way, this ranks amongst Chan's best.
